Sébastien Rouet also started for Narbonne last week. Marco Pinto Ferrer started for Béziers. Strange that like Charlie Malie, Gautier Gibouin of Montauban didn't play last week. Maybe they fear possible sanctions. Third Spanish international from Montauban Sebastien Ascarat played for Spain last week.

Siriwan wrote:I get your point, but if the FER has to choose between having them available for a ENC that doubles as a qualifier or right now, the choice is obvious. And Spain doesn't have the power to force the clubs to release the players every time, as they would risk their place in their clubs.

Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Siriwan wrote:I get your point, but if the FER has to choose between having them available for a ENC that doubles as a qualifier or right now, the choice is obvious. And Spain doesn't have the power to force the clubs to release the players every time, as they would risk their place in their clubs.

Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Is the problem for T2/T3 national teams, as they are not as important as 6N teams, clubs use them to replace in some cases those players who play for their T1 national teams. Of course that is not everything, it is not necessary to force players and clubs, we have a large amount of players and we also have 7´s national team playing soon in hong kong i think, so we will need those player to play and let 7´s players go and try to achieve the Sevens Rugby Series for next year.

Siriwan wrote:I get your point, but if the FER has to choose between having them available for a ENC that doubles as a qualifier or right now, the choice is obvious. And Spain doesn't have the power to force the clubs to release the players every time, as they would risk their place in their clubs.

Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Is the problem for T2/T3 national teams, as they are not as important as 6N teams, clubs use them to replace in some cases those players who play for their T1 national teams. Of course that is not everything, it is not necessary to force players and clubs, we have a large amount of players and we also have 7´s national team playing soon in hong kong i think, so we will need those player to play and let 7´s players go and try to achieve the Sevens Rugby Series for next year.

You're wrong about the best players in the squad of 53. They are regular starters for their clubs. This is just discrimination.

Siriwan wrote:I get your point, but if the FER has to choose between having them available for a ENC that doubles as a qualifier or right now, the choice is obvious. And Spain doesn't have the power to force the clubs to release the players every time, as they would risk their place in their clubs.

Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Is the problem for T2/T3 national teams, as they are not as important as 6N teams, clubs use them to replace in some cases those players who play for their T1 national teams. Of course that is not everything, it is not necessary to force players and clubs, we have a large amount of players and we also have 7´s national team playing soon in hong kong i think, so we will need those player to play and let 7´s players go and try to achieve the Sevens Rugby Series for next year.

You're wrong about the best players in the squad of 53. They are regular starters for their clubs. This is just discrimination.

That´s why i said in some cases, i have no doubt they are really good, but the real thing is that we have to use players correctly and if we have no need to call them now because we will need them later its ok, we didn´t have Vissensang and Roca last match and we won Russia 43-20

olivier wrote:Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Is the problem for T2/T3 national teams, as they are not as important as 6N teams, clubs use them to replace in some cases those players who play for their T1 national teams. Of course that is not everything, it is not necessary to force players and clubs, we have a large amount of players and we also have 7´s national team playing soon in hong kong i think, so we will need those player to play and let 7´s players go and try to achieve the Sevens Rugby Series for next year.

You're wrong about the best players in the squad of 53. They are regular starters for their clubs. This is just discrimination.

That´s why i said in some cases, i have no doubt they are really good, but the real thing is that we have to use players correctly and if we have no need to call them now because we will need them later its ok, we didn´t have Vissensang and Roca last match and we won Russia 43-20

You always need your best players to improve team chemistry. I prefer to win 70-0 with T. Visensang, Roca, Sébastien or Guillaume Rouet, Mathieu Belie or Christopher Ruiz, Fabien Gramatico, Charles Gimenez and Mathieu Peluchon. It's better to send a signal to the clique.

olivier wrote:Why Wales have more power ? Why woudn't Welsh players risk their place ?

Is the problem for T2/T3 national teams, as they are not as important as 6N teams, clubs use them to replace in some cases those players who play for their T1 national teams. Of course that is not everything, it is not necessary to force players and clubs, we have a large amount of players and we also have 7´s national team playing soon in hong kong i think, so we will need those player to play and let 7´s players go and try to achieve the Sevens Rugby Series for next year.

You're wrong about the best players in the squad of 53. They are regular starters for their clubs. This is just discrimination.

That´s why i said in some cases, i have no doubt they are really good, but the real thing is that we have to use players correctly and if we have no need to call them now because we will need them later its ok, we didn´t have Vissensang and Roca last match and we won Russia 43-20

You always need your best players to improve team chemistry. I prefer to win 70-0 with T. Visensang, Roca, Sébastien or Guillaume Rouet, Mathieu Belie or Christopher Ruiz, Fabien Gramatico, Charles Gimenez and Mathieu Peluchon. It's better to send a signal to the clique.

I agree with you that having your best players is the best option and i think everybody will agree too. The problem is that players involved in XV´s national team also play for the 7´s national team, so it´s important to have a balanced team in every match and not only in the ones you really have a chance to win.

I would like to have the best players available for every game, but the past showed that it's not possible. Oriol Ripol said, for example, that he had to choose between his career in Northampton Saints and Sale Sharks or playing for Spain. The clubs said that plainly. The WRFU have way more convincing power (plus the fact that the T1 unions have union-contracted players just to assure their availability every time they wish).

I really don't get why you seem mad at the SRU and WRU for having Glasgow/Edinburgh and the Welsh regions feed their respective national teams. If Spain wants a similar set up where they have a pool of players ready for release during the International windows then they need people investing money to make it happen and that obviously isn't in the cards for the foreseeable future.

Sadly, right now some players do need to choose between representing their countries or playing professionally. I don't think it's right to try and prevent a player from representing their country but that's the way it is and will continue to be when club and international competitions compete. Especially when the clubs are the ones paying the players and feel they are entitled to them more than the National teams(which I do kinda agree with). If European players really want to push the issue they know that there's a host of talented Kolpak players(South Africans and Islanders mainly) that could get brought in to replace them in the lineup.

Buffalo wrote:I really don't get why you seem mad at the SRU and WRU for having Glasgow/Edinburgh and the Welsh regions feed their respective national teams. If Spain wants a similar set up where they have a pool of players ready for release during the International windows then they need people investing money to make it happen and that obviously isn't in the cards for the foreseeable future.

your ignorance still amuse me. Scotland and Wales have many players in England and France.

http://ferugby.es/noticias2.php?titulo= ... 20AlemaniaAnd finally, long waited Christopher Ruiz and Fabien Gramatico will play for Spain in the last week of REC. It seems Carcassonne decided to free all his previously illegally retained players this week. Ruiz teammate in Narbonne, Sébastien Rouet is also in for the first time. Aswell Mathieu Visensang of Bayonne. Guillaume Rouet, Fernando Lopez and Benat Auzqui are coming back.Some are still missing : Charles Gimenez, Mathieu Peluchon, Mathieu Belie, Charlie Malie didn't play for Spain this year.Full report on players release to follow on my blog.

According to Wiki they played four tests in the 30s, beating & drawing with Italy, and losing twice to France - by just 7 points on both occasions.

As a regional team they lost narrowly to Northern Ireland in 82, were well beaten by Italy in 1990 but edged out Tunisia the same year, thrashed Andorra and the Czech Rep in 95, and were hammered by France, Russia & Italy in the late 90s. They then disappeared for over a decade, but returned five years ago with narrow losses to Sweden & the French Classics.

Now Catalonia, which has a population of 7.5 million (more than NZ or any of the Celtic nations), appears headed in the direction of regaining its independence. Should this transpire, I wonder how their rugby team will fare in the modern rugby scene . . .

If they're good enough to play at World Cups, then why not in between?

We will see. Unfortunately for Catalonia, players from Northern Catalonia (the french part) will surely not qualify to play for Catalonia. There are some very good players like Guilhem Guirado, Nicolas Mas, Brice Mach, Otilo Kafotomaki, Jean Pierre-Perez, Jonathan Best, David Marty, Adrien Planté, Jérôme Porical and many more...

Though, there are few young and promising players, Nil Baro, Marc and Josep Puigbert (all from Santboiana), Joan Losada from FC Barcelona rugby, Sergi Aubanell from AurillacFormer winger Oriol Ripol (Sale Sharks, Northampton) is catalan.Munster and Ireland number8 Jordi Murphy is born in Barcelona.

Unfortunately for Catalonia, players from Northern Catalonia (the french part) will surely not qualify to play for Catalonia

It would certainly be interesting if Northern Catalonia joined the hypothetical independent state. Although they would only add a few hundred thousand inhabitants to the 7.5 million population, it would include the rugby stronghold of Perpignan.

If they do get their independence, isn't it just weakening Spain?

You mean from a political perspective or a rugby perspective? If it's the latter, I doubt it'll make a huge difference to Los Leones.

If they're good enough to play at World Cups, then why not in between?